Adjustable socket wrench



June 22, 1948. QBERWEGNER 2,443,774

' ADJUSTABLE SOCKET WRENCH Filed May 12, 1945 INVENTOR. -Q.R. Uberw e171: er

Patented June 22, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE SOCKET WRENCH Alfred B. Oberwegner, Los Angeles, Calif. Application May 12, 1943, Serial No. 486,699

3 Claims. 1

My invention rel-ates to an adjustable socket wrench.

In washing machines and various other machines, devices, or apparatus, it is often difficult to remove or uncover certain elements from relatively deep and cramped depressions, such as the agitator operating columns or parts of various washing machines.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a socket wrench for easily removing or unscrewing such posts, or nuts or other elements similarly located, and also a wrench of this class for removing or unscrewing posts, nuts, or other similar elements of various shapes and sizes.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a wrench of .this class which is capable of gripping or fitting nuts or similar elements which are smaller in size than the largest diameter or dimension of the post or other member over which the wrench is adapted to be positioned for removing the nut or the like.

An important object also of this invention is to provide a wrench of this class which may serve as a combined socket and spanner wrench, and which is capable of gripping a post or other member at the lugs provided for unscrewing the same even though all but one of the lugs are broken off.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a wrench of this class in which the gripping or jaw members are novelly, simply, and durably constructed and novelly and rigidly but radially adjustably mounted on a supporting member or tube for performing the functions above enumerated.

With these and other objects in View, as will appear hereinafter, I have devised a socket wrench having certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts and portions, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs and the characters of reference thereon, which form a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of my socket wrench in its preferred form of construction;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged end view of the gripping portion of my wrench, portions thereof being broken away and in section to facilitate the illustration;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section thereof taken through 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view similar to that 2 shown in Fig. 2 showing a slightly modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View (Of my socket wrench showing its application as a particular type of spanner wrench for removing members having undercut nut or lug portions. 1

My socket wrench, as shown in the drawings, consists essentially of a long jaw or supporting member I having nut-gripping jaw members 2 at one end, and an operating rod 3 at the opposite end. The jaw or supporting member, in this instance, consists of a tube or length of pipe. This tube or pipe length is provided at its upper end with diametrically opposed holes l for loosely receiving the rod 3, which may be of any suitable description. i

At the opposite end or bottom end of the tube or pipe length is provided a pair of relatively large lugs 1 which are positioned at diametrically opposite sides and immediately adjacent the lower end of the tube. The lugs have jaw guides 4 which extend at right angles from the opposite sides of the lugs, the guides of each lug being coaxial and the axes of the guides at the opposite sides of the tube being parallel.

These tubular guides may be formed from tubes or sleeves which may extend through the lugs and which may be secured to the lugs in any suitable manner.

The jaw members are preferably duplicates, and each is provided at its opposite ends with bosses 2 which are provided with bores for receiving the tubular guides 4, for slidably supporting the jaw members in various adjusted positions on the guides. The jaw members are secured or held in position on the guides by bolts 5 which extend through the tubular guides and through reduced holes in the outer ends of the bosses 2 which holes are concentric with the bores receiving the guides. Each of the loolts is shown as provided with a wing nut 6 for adjusting the jaw members with respect to the supporting tube. It will be noted that a preferable arrangement consists in the positioning of the wing nuts 6 at diametrically opposite positions, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to equalize the positions of the jaw members and also normally to force the same outwardly with respect to each other and the supporting tube, there are provided compression springs 1 between the lower ends of the tube and the jaw members, the springs being seated in pockets intermediate the ends of the .i aw members, and they are shown as aligned and intermediate and parallel to the adjusting bolts.

The jaw members extend beyond the lower end of the tube 1 and are provided at such extended portions with flanges 2 which extend over the lower end of the tube and also considerably inwardly from the lateral positions of the bore of the tube, for gripping nuts or other elements of smaller size than the dimension of the tube itself. The adjacent sides or portions of the flanges 2 are of particular shape so as to grip nuts or other elements of various contours, these flanges having adjacent flat sides 2 for engaging the opposite flat sides of either a square or hexagonal nut. These flat sides 2 form the intermediate flat sides of half-hexagonal depressions at the adjacent sides of the jaW members, these depressions being adapted to receive the opposite portions of a hexagonal nut. The flat sides are also provided with depressions or notches 2 for receiving the diametrically oppositely positioned lugs which may :be provided at the opposite sides of a washing machine agitator post, or the like. These notches 2 may also receive the sharp corners of square or hexagonal nuts. If four lugs are provided, two of such lugs may be positioned between the ends of the jaw members. If three lugs are provided on the agitator post or other element, the inclined inner edges at the adjacent edges of the flanges may have other depressions 2 for receiving two of the lugs, the third lug being engaged by the central notch or the opposite jaw member.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings, the agitator post 8 is shown as having a positioning collar 8 spaced backwardly from its lower end. Between such collar and the lower end of the post is often provided 9. lug or lugs 8 With my wrench, the jaw members are capable of extending below the coliar B for engaging the lugs 8 of the post.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have shown the jaw members as slidably mounted directly upon the adjusting and securing bolt 5, the tubular guide or sleeve being omitted.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination, and arrangement of P rts and portions, and a certain modification thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the same, but desireto include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination, and arrangement substantially as set .forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a socket wrench, a tube, parallel guide sleeves, positioned at opposite sides and near one end of the tube, jaw members, each being slidably mounted at the opposite ends on both of the guide sleeves, and bolts extending through each of the sleeves for adjusting both of the jaw membars with respect to each other on said sleeves.

2. In a socket wrench, a tube, parallel guide sleeves, positioned at opposite sides and near one end of the tube, jaw members, each being slidably mounted at the opposite ends on both of the guide sleeves, springs, one positioned between the tube and each of the jaw members, and bolts extending through each of the sleeves for adjusting both of the jaw members with respect to each other on said sleeves.

.3. In a socket wrench, a tube, parallel guides at the opposite sides and substantially normal to the axis of the tube, a jaw member slidably mounted on said guides, means in association with the guides for drawing the jaw member relative to the tube, the jaw member having at its middle portion a recess at the side of and extending towards the tube, and a coil spring located within the recess with one end extending therefrom and engaging the side of said tube intermediate the guides.

ALFRED R. OBERWEGNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 58,306 SedgWick Sept. 25, 1866 288,098 Myers Nov. 6, 1883 525,311 Billings Aug. 28, 1894 639,709 Asbury Dec. 26, 1899 674,914 Gansley H Ma 28, 1901 804,568 Thompson Nov. 14, 1905 1,395,656 Schlutz Nov. 1, 1921 1,556,394 Zange Oct. 6, 1925 1,732,445 Lapointe Oct. 22, 1929 1,872,392 Bishrnan et a1 Aug. 16, 1932 2,098,369 Baash Nov. 9, 1937 2,249,290 Jahnel July 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 542,195 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1941 

